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Employment Problems

I have a possible order upcoming for a restaurant for 45 table tops. Knowing I can't do that solo I decided to contact the local Employment Secrity Commission office to post a part-time job opening. I was very specific with the requirements since the last thing I need is to run a woodworking school instead of a woodworking shop and since the ESC will screen the applicants, I wouldn't have to wade through a lot of non-qualified applicants.

The first application looked good so I gave him a call to set an interview time. I called at 10:30 am and actually woke him up. I don't know if he was working all night or what else might have been going on. I gave him the address and said to come on down and he never showed.

The second application wasn't what I was looking for so I never called.

I did hire a young man from my church but that hasn't lasted. On the first day he asked me to pay him for the day and I replied with a no, I wasn't going to start that. But after he left he came back in saying he didn't have enough gas to get home, I caved. Not a good way to start off. That was on Wednesday and on Friday he acted surprised when I said he would be paid the next Friday so I had time to figure everything out.

He called me this week asking if I could pay him early, stating he had some things he had to take care of. After his screw-ups with packing the boards for shipping, forgetting to include Board Butter in at least two boxes and shorting one box, which cost me additional postage and time plus he loaded a board in a box upside down which just happened to be the one UPS dropped gouging the cutting surface, and asking again to be paid early after I told him not to ask, I cut him loose when he came for his money.

The fellow who worked for me part-time during the move last year was drawing unemployment benefits and not reporting what I was paying him. Since I sent a 1099 form for what I paid, he has evidently decided I threw him under the bus and will not speak or acknowledge my presence. BTW He lives across the street. At least his children wave.

There is supposed to be a job shortage and a worker surplus in this country yet it is tough to find someone who is really willing to work. What is wrong?

Trying to find good tax preparers was always a pain. One I hired was a retired CPA who had been chief of the audit division of a big city IRS office. He first complained about not making enough money. I paid a percentage of fees on tax returns prepared, and he took several hours to complete a simple 1040, so no, he didn't make much. And he treated my clients like they were in an IRS audit. Bye.

If you reach the age of 60 without becoming a curmudgeon, you haven't been paying attention.

Sorry to hear of your trobles, David. It's admirible going to the employment commission, but there are many who just go through the motions so they can collect unemployment and are not all that crazy about actually working. It might be helpful to post some fliers at the grocery store if they have a bulletin board. Also could talk to any of your material suppliers to see if they have leads on people looking for work.

Congrats on the big order -- I hope you are able to get it all done on time and make some $ on it.

Talk to a couple of local finish carpentry type of company's and see if they have laid off people who they would consider hiring back. they probably won't recommend their top couple but may give you some quality leads. With the construction downturn, there has to be some quality people out there.

One of my former good friends was a CNC machinist that got laid off and was collecting unemployment and decided that he was making more money on unemployment and being a bum than trying to find a decent job. He milked it until he lost his unemployment the first time, skipped out on his rental and moved in with his sister (I was his landlord), and then after unemployment was reinstated he milked it for another 42 weeks (this is why he is former, I don't respect him enough to be around him any more). I am sure there are lots of people out there like this, but I am sure there has to be some quality people too. Good luck.

This blows my mind... I remember talking to a former colleague that got laid off but quickly found another job. His thoughts, though I discredited them at the time, was that, after getting a good number of interviews and offers from nearly all of the places he interviewed, we didn't really have an employment problem right now, we really had an employee problem. Apparently hiring manager after hiring manager told him that he was the first truly qualified candidate they'd had in months... Your experience, Dave, seems to lend some additional support to that view.